


Bandit, Hero, Vault Hunter, Villain

by a_borderlands_tale (the_lady_storyteller)



Category: Borderlands
Genre: F/M, Ficlets, Gen, Het, M/M, Multi, One-Shots, Slash, lots and lots and lots of ofcs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-24 16:20:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4926613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_lady_storyteller/pseuds/a_borderlands_tale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because sometimes it's damn hard to tell the difference between who you're supposed to be cheering for and who you're supposed to detest. </p><p>A series of one-shots concerning different characters of the Borderlands universe (or what happens when I can seem to select one damn storyline). Canons and AUs abound, so strap yourself in kiddos!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So Who Might You Be?

**Author's Note:**

> My take on a glaring omission in the Borderlands canon....

She had been a gift of sorts from Tassiter, him too occupied with dealing with other aspects of the company to deal with “the ramblings of some livid Tech” as he had explained to Jack. Apparently Hyperion had rejected her designs for a new kind of robot because it wasn’t cost effective to have “hunks of metal wandering around the station”. No point in sponsoring a project that was doomed to fail, not to mention one they couldn't afford to waste precious coding on. 

He dialled in his entry code, slipping into his office (well, it was more of a cubicle but still) as he braced himself for the onslaught of abuse at the hands of some middle aged woman. No doubt accompanied by her going red like a cherry tomato. Hmm, that could prove to be entertaining. I mean, not really as entertaining as other things, but an amusement nevertheless.

Jack had learned to take those fleeting moments when he could. Not like he got too many of them working as an entry-level programmer for Hyperion. He liked to imagine the perks came eventually, but for now…

**_Well, hello there._ **

His eyes settled on a young woman, her long raven hair tied back loosely as her sapphire eyes watched him through narrowed slits. Her mouth seemed to be set in a permanent grimace, which honestly should have helped to alleviate the fact she was too goddamn gorgeous to be real, but no.

“John, I take it?” she practically spat out as he sat down in front of her, covertly closing down a few select tabs on his computer as he nodded. He steepled his fingers as he leaned forward slightly, catching a whiff of a cloying flowery scent that did not match her sour expression.

“I prefer…” he began as he pasted on a charming grin.

“Can you please explain to me why it is when I ask to speak to the current head of the programming department he instead sends me to talk to one of his code monkeys?” she spat, and he bristled a little.

“We can’t all be as important as him,” Jack replied, the sarcasm practically dripping. “Luckily for you, I’m here to take all complaints you might have…”

“Fine,” she replied testily as he absentmindedly picked up a pen and began to slip it between his fingers. Christ, he wished he could just smoke in here, if not for the nicotine at least for something to do with his hands. “I think…Christ could you stop doing that please?”

He continued to spin the pen and smirked a little.

“Why?” he challenged. “Made you lose your train of thought with my no doubt impeccable pen-spinning skills?”

There was a flash of a smile, her whole face lighting up pleasantly and Christ why did she have to be so bloody attractive? Made this all the more infuriating for him. For crap’s sake, he actually **liked** the Technology department of Hyperion. They usually had more balls than the CEOs did, not to mention they were always giving him compliments for his _impeccable_ coding skills. Not that he got that from anyone else here.

“More like you’re making me crave a cigarette,” she replied under her breath and he reached into his drawer, pulling out the package and setting it down on the desk. She looked at it in surprise before she looked back at him.

“I won’t tell if you won’t sweetheart,” he responded with a small wink, and she gave him a wary look.

“I don’t like bribes,” she replied evenly and he actually snorted.

“What bribe?” he asked as he took out two cigarettes, placing them between his lips and lighting them quickly before he looked at her, noticing with interest she appeared to be watching his mouth a little too intently. “Besides, if you could be bribed so easily I don’t think you’d be here, now would you?”

He took one of the cigarettes out of his mouth and held it out to her, their fingertips brushing as she clasped it. He felt heat travel up his arm and he did his best to ignore it as he took a quick drag from his cigarette.  

She took a long, slow sort of drag before she blew out the smoke, the cloud settling around her and God help him if it didn’t look like pure seduction.

“I take it you know about the funding to the Techies then?” she asked with a small smirk that mirrored his own. He nodded and she sighed out a puff of smoke. “Throw enough money at us and perhaps we’ll actually do what the CEOs want.”

Jack grinned a little at this.

“So what do they want to dismantle this time then?” he asked with interest and she laughed before she reached into the bag at her side, pulling out a series of schematics.

“I haven’t decided on the title yet, mind you, but I was thinking we need maintenance robots that can actually do more than one task,” she replied as she spread out the blueprints, settling in closer to the desk. The robots were hulking things with large chest cavities, to hold tools no doubt. “God knows we’re wasting money on building robots that only can fix a pipe, or rewire electrical, or whatever other issue arises.”

“Multi-purpose? Sounds revolutionary,” he teased a little and she looked up, her blue eyes locking with his mismatched ones and when she smiled he felt his face grow a little too warm for comfort. He reminded himself to ask one of those damn Claptraps to turn up the A/C, he felt like he was boiling in here.

“You would think that based on how my boss handled it when I told him,” she replied with a chuckle as she leaned back, her cigarette poised between her fingers. “Too busy pussyfooting around the CEOs and their needs, no doubt. Also too embarrassed to admit it took a woman to come up with a decent solution.”

“Some men are too easily intimidated,” Jack replied smoothly and she smiled. She opened her mouth to say something when the doors slid open, revealing a very livid Tassiter. Jack hastily stubbed out his cigarette as he stumbled to his feet.

“C-can I help you sir?” he asked politely and the man only rolled his eyes.

“I see you’re handling the situation,” he replied drily as he looked at the woman, who only gave him a nod that somehow dripped disrespect (he needed to ask her how to do that) before she stood up.

“John was taking the time to actually listen to what I had to say,” she declared before she took a long drag of her cigarette. She dropped it at Tassiter’s feet and stubbed it out, giving him a saccharine smile before she continued. “I trust I can leave my blueprints with him? In case you were considering giving them another look? You know how easily the Board changes their minds…”

“I’m not sure that will be necessary…” he replied drily and she nodded as she gathered up her things.

“Just thinking it might be useful if you’re still interested in that promotion…would hate to see it go to someone else because of a few, ahem, bad decisions,” she responded sweetly as she slipped her blueprints into her bag. “Remind me again, who do I contact to book an appointment with Johnson?”

Jack tried not to laugh too loudly at the look on Assiter’s face, caught somewhere between disbelief and anger. He somehow retained enough dignity to sputter out a reply, the woman nodding with a polite smile.

“Well if I can’t get in contact with his secretary tell him Clare from Deck 13.5 wants to speak to him,” she replied with a small smile before she looked at Jack. “My door is always open.”

Tassister’s eyes darted between the pair as Jack tried not to grin too widely in amusement, her seeming to fight back similar urges as she bit her lip a little. She nodded to the pair of them before she slipped into the corridor, humming a tune as the doors slid shut behind her.

Tassiter slipped into his office, muttering to himself as the doors closed, and Jack for the first time he could remember since starting to work here began to laugh. A little hysterically to be honest, the tears streaming down his face but still, his heart was in the right place.

He made a mental note to go to Deck 13.5 as soon as possible. He had a feeling this Clare was going to be highly entertaining for him.

Perhaps in more ways than one.


	2. See You Around, Kiddo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because we all know a good man is in want of a better woman than himself. 
> 
> In which Jack finds himself going to Deck 13.5 in response to Clare's not-so-subtle invitation.

**_Granted, when Jack heard Clare say that her door was open at any time, he knew it was a not-so-subtle invitation to him more than to Tassister. He wasn’t that clueless._ **

And when he took up said invitation the first time, it was the paragon of innocence. She had shown him some of the ideas the Techs were considering, shown him a few prototypes that if they made it past the trial stage would need his department to fully program them. Explained with eager enthusiasm that Johnson seemed to be extremely interested in her designs and was even more interested in pulling a fast one on Tassiter.

“Sometimes you just have to love the corporate ladder,” she had declared with a smirk. “Everyone clamoring over everyone else, too lost in their haze to fully absorb what they are doing to try to get to the top.”

She was brash and bold, a complete contrast to the snivelling mass at Hyperion. He knew she would have been kicked out by now if she wasn’t a goddamn genius and that fact only made him like her more.

And when she invited him to visit again, her eyes sparkling, he accepted without a moment’s hesitation.

The second time was a little more lax, most of the visit consisting of the pair of them finding a corner where the smoke detectors didn’t work and telling each other just how they had ended up in his hellhole. Him, some whiz kid that was able to get an internship at 17 who thought because he was getting away he would finally be able to escape all the shittiness of the world. Her, some genius plucked out of university at 19 to come work for Hyperion in hopes she would improve their robotics department with her ideas.

The smoke hovered around them as they spoke, huddled close together, his hand on her wrist as he tried to make her laugh. As they both agreed that perhaps their past selves had no clue what they were doing, that five years here had made them wise, before the pair broke into laughter at this clear lie.

Christ, if this was his future at the company he would gladly take all the bullshit.

The third time was different in more ways than one. Tassiter was on his ass about something or other, a report that needed to be submitted to the CEOs about how a glitch in the coding had led to the deaths of a few people when they tried to boot up a few of the service bots. It was a clusterfuck, the families eager for compensation and Hyperion trying to keep it all quiet.

It hadn’t even been Jack’s coding and yet Tassiter still tried to blame him for it. Because it wasn’t like Assiter could have screwed it up, oh no. And Jack’s response to the accusation was to go down to Deck 13.5, cigarettes in hand, eager to vent.

Clare knew before he even told her. The story was circulating around her department, and from the sounds of it someone was going to have to pay for it. And while the coding was to blame, the fact that the robot malfunctioned in the first place was apparently on the backs of the Techs.

So the pair decided to handle it responsibly, tried to find a way so that this would never happen again, the pair hovering over blueprints as they both took long drags from their cigarettes, talking about upgrades and coding and all that.

Or, they took out their frustrations by locking themselves in her office, the combination of their anger with this simmering tension between them resulting in her legs wrapped around his hips as the desk she was perched on threatened to snap in half at their exertion. Turned out the threat of being fired was a bit of an aphrodisiac for the pair.

 And it was only after the haze had settled in, the pair rearranging their clothes as they took lazy drags from the same cigarette that Jack realized this could have some consequences he did not want to see come to fruition.

Except she kissed him so sweetly, pulling at his bottom lip as he kept insisting he had to get back to work only for the pair to be wrapped up in each other again, more than ready for another round.

And then her ECHO beeped informing her that she needed to get back to work as well, the pair breaking apart with great reluctance.

“Guess I’ll see you around kiddo,” she declared with a wink as she sauntered out, and Jack could only stare in awe.

Christ, this woman was going to end him, wasn’t she?  


	3. A Key Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because every action has its consequences, ones that even a man such as Jack can't evade with his smooth words. 
> 
> In which Clare has some news and Jack sees his values begin to crumble.

It was one of the only times he could remember her being out of control, hair loose around her shoulders as she paced back and forth in that Hyperion-issued flat. The Hyperion slacks had been replaced with a t-shirt and pajama shorts, and he couldn’t help but stare at her never-ending legs appreciatively as she looked like she was on the brink of collapse. 

“You know, you still haven’t told me why I’m here babe,” he declared with a small smirk. “Did that little brain of yours finally fall out of your skull? I mean, I was taking bets so if you could just…”

Normally she would laugh, shove him playfully before she would retort with something equally snarky on the borderline of being cruel. 

Instead she continued to pace until her ECHOcomm dinged. She dove for it and picked it up, answering without pausing, speaking into the receiver at a million miles a minute. Her features crumpled within moments, her hand going to her mouth before she gagged, hanging up before she sprinted to the bathroom. Jack heard her heaving for a few moments before she slammed the door shut. It was after a minute or so he heard her begin to sob, and he stood up from the sofa. 

He cautiously padded over to the bathroom, knocking gently on the door. 

“Everything okay there pumpkin?” he asked. When she didn’t answer he pushed open the door, revealing Clare curled up on the toilet lid, the tears streaming down her face that she tried to wipe away with the palm of her hand. She looked somewhere between devastated and livid, and Jack hated himself in that moment for still thinking she was a goddamn divinity looking like this. 

“Bad take out?” he asked and she laughed weakly. 

“You would think, but sadly no,” she replied as Jack reached forward and brushed her black hair out of her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him gently, running her thumb across his cheek before she pulled away and took a deep breath. 

“Congrats kiddo, you knocked me up,” she declared with a wavering grin as she held his face. He jerked back violently, his eyes wide as he shook his head rapidly. Her words about the doctors calling it a “goddamn miracle” that she even got pregnant rang in his ears hollowly as he tried to catch his breath.

“What do you want to do about it?” he asked gently, and she shrugged. 

“Well I’m not about to lose everything because of this,” she replied matter-of-factly as she rested her head on her knees. “I worked too damn hard to get here.”

Jack nodded mutely, running through his mind different doctors on Hyperion that they could pay off to handle this as discreetly as possible. He was sure the combination of both their paychecks would suffice. Neither of them could afford to have a kid when they were both on the brink of something.

For crap’s sake, he was on the cusp of getting a promotion and she was about to get her robots on the manufacturing line after Tassiter “reconsidered” what it would mean for him if he let it go ahead. Namely in the form of a promotion of his own. 

There were rumours swirling around that he might become the next CEO, the former taking their leave permanently due to ‘work stressors’ and Jack knew Tassiter was itching to knock Clare down a few pegs. He said it was because she was irresponsible, brash and a threat to the company. Jack knew it was because she intimidated him. A pregnancy would ruin her. 

“So this is a misstep, we can move on from this baby,” Jack replied, all false bravado that normally would make her smile. Instead she just shook her head. 

“I think I’m going to keep her,” she replied almost too quietly for him to hear and all the colour drained out of his face. “I-I can manage it, I’m sure. My mother apparently didn’t start showing until she was seven months along…”

“You can’t afford to be pregnant Clare!” he hissed worriedly. “Tassiter…”

“Is not my key concern, Jack,” she replied pointedly. “Look, I spent my entire life thinking this would never happen to me and God help me if I waste this miracle…”

She took a deep breath. 

“So I’ll work harder, get the robots on the line and make sure I’m indispensable to Hyperion, so that when the moment comes and everyone knows they can’t get rid of me,” she replied sharply. “And if I have to do it all by myself, then fine. I can manage. But it would sure be nice if you’d do your bit too.”

“No one has kids at Hyperion, Clare!” he protested and she shook her head stubbornly. He sighed. “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”

She shook her head again and he groaned, a long sound before he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“Fine. I’m in,” he replied with a sigh. 

“You’re in?” she asked uncertainly. 

“If you’re going to be a complete idiot you might as well drag me down with you. Not like I have anything to lose besides, oh I don’t know, my job, but hey, a baby’s important I guess, sweet…” he rambled as he stood up, already regretting his decision as she flung her arms around his neck and held him tightly. 

“Who says the baby’s yours?” she purred into his ear and he bristled as she began to laugh, and without even thinking about it he cupped her cheek and kissed her for reasons he couldn’t comprehend. 

God help him, he was developing a weak spot for her. And he didn’t like having that sort of weakness. 

But for her? He supposed he could tolerate it.


	4. Goes Together Like A Horse and Carriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Jack succumbs to the fact he might, indeed, be completely besotted with Clare. 
> 
> Aka the calm before the storm.

Granted, when she told him she was pregnant he had anticipated the other part of it. 

What scared him more than the fact he was going to tie himself down for good at the youthful age of 22 when he could be spending at least another 10 years making his way through as many women as he pleased…was that he wanted to. 

He actually wanted to marry her. Raise their kid, the whole shebang. Christ, he was going soft. 

Looking back on it, he knows it wasn’t the most romantic proposal. He’d actually planned something, a dinner at a restaurant neither of them could really afford and with a ring in his pocket worth a solid year’s wages at Hyperion. But at the last minute she had cancelled, telling him she needed to work on the Loader bot line (she’d finally come up with a title for her creation, not to mention a sleeker design) and he had actually bristled. 

He had stormed onto Deck 13.5, wasting no time before he began to yell at her, his words biting and she had responded with just as much venom. The other people in the room had quietly slipped out as the argument became more and more heated, and it would have surprised no one if a few things went flying. 

It was a petty argument about nothing in particular, but for some reason neither wanted to give up. him saying she could afford one damn night to go to dinner with him, and her responding she at least had enough focus while he seemed to care less about trying to get that damn promotion. That he’d gone soft, stopped caring, wanted himself to get fired just so that he didn’t need to work for Tassiter anymore. The barbs were traded back and forth…and then she had said those magic little words.

“God, why did I ever choose you?” she spat. 

“Because you know I’m the only idiot dumb enough to want to marry you, you bitch,” Jack snarled, the words flying out his mouth. 

She faltered, the angry sneer slipping from her features rapidly. 

“What?” she asked gently, and Jack shook his head angrily. “You..you…”

Jack tossed the ring at her feet, the metal loop clattering around on the floor for a few moments. 

“I had this whole damn evening planned, flowers, music, the whole damn shebang, but no. You couldn’t want that could you. God, sometimes I could just strangle…” he began when she cupped her mouth and began to sob. He choked on his words, looking at her as she picked up the ring and walked towards him. Silently she pressed the ring into his large palm. 

“Try again, Jack,” she ordered, the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks and he looked down at the ring for a moment. 

“Uhhh…marry me, I guess?” he replied, holding the ring out to her. She looked at him silently for a few moments, wiping away her tears. “Look, no one else is going to put up with me frankly, I know I’m the biggest asshole to be put on Helios but for some reason you seem to like that?” 

She chuckled weakly. 

“Look I can’t promise you this happy little existence but I think we both know you don’t want that,” Jack continued. “You like a challenge. And trust me, putting up with me is a challenge all in its own. So, yeah, umm…not quite sure what to say here….”

She smiled a little. 

“Could you say something please? Christ you were given that mouth for a reason, the least you could do is…” Jack began. 

She tugged him forward by his lapels, kissing him forcefully as she slipped the ring onto her finger. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her in closer, the pair entangled in each other as he nipped at her bottom lip. 

“You’re an asshole Jack,” she murmured tenderly as she pulled away a little. She traced his lapels for a few moments. “So, tell me more about this proposal you were going to give me…”

Jack laughed a little. 

“Oh baby, you would have loved it,” he replied as he wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her back to her work. “Would have put every other proposal to shame.”

“Pretty sure you already topped that by calling me a bitch,” Clare replied and Jack cackled as she gave him a cheeky grin. 

“A bitch fit for an asshole, sweetcheeks. Match made in fricking heaven…”

And she had laughed, her grin radiant as Jack nuzzled into her neck playfully. She had shoved him away before she kissed him again, and it was a rare moment where Jack actually didn’t feel like he needed to think five steps ahead. 

He really should have.


	5. Not So Happy After All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which it all collapses before it even began, and Jack does something he never anticipated. 
> 
> Trigger warning for brutal death of a certain character.

As it turned out, Jack had made good on his proposal.

Their marriage was not some happy existence based on fairy tales. Far from it, as it came to be.

Sure, the first few months had been pleasant enough. The pair had been working so hard they barely saw each other, making the moments they could spend together feel like a tryst. But soon the Loader Bots were up and running, and Jack had earned that damn promotion. A desk of his own with a damn fine view, a legion of Claptraps at his beck and call to do coding. Sure, they made many more errors than he ever would have, but it was shaping to be a comfortable existence.

And when their daughter was born, she was perfect. Their very own Angel, something Jack scoffed at when they chose to name her. But it suited her somehow, and he couldn’t deny the first moment he held her he knew he would protect her with his life.

Clare didn’t seem to feel the same way. While Jack would use every opportunity he could to come home early and see his little girl, sometimes sneaking her into his office if he had to work late, Clare just…withdrew. Barely wanted to hold their daughter, let alone feed her. It would have worried Jack more if it wasn’t around the same time some virus had come in and infected all the Claptrap units. Long hours spent in that office, pouring over data as he sighed to himself, wondering when he could go home.

Except when he came home, instead of finding his wife fast asleep and his daughter at her side, he found a screaming child and a note on his fridge door.

**_Gone out. Loaders need improvements._ **

He had torn the note down, crumpling it in his fist as he picked up his daughter, holding her to his chest before he grabbed her a bottle from the kitchen counter. She sucked on it quietly as Jack rubbed his eyes, her head resting on his chest contentedly.

The rest of the month seemed to run in a similar routine, and if Clare had actually ever been home he would have already yelled at her for it. Except he never saw her, and even when he went down to Deck 13.5 she was never there. He tried at one point knocking at her office door only for some Claptrap to drag him away, saying Clare was “extremely busy with important things”.

God, one day he was going to kill one of those little annoying yellow assholes.

She came home, eventually, when Angel was taking her first fumbling steps. When Angel was starting to become less of a baby and more of a child was finally when she started to contribute, and frankly Jack was growing too tired to even care anymore. All he could manage was a few weak snipes at her which she returned with only a cock of her eyebrow.

Still, it was nice for a time having Angel be raised by both her parents. Years passed without complaint, and for a while Jack could say he was happy. Ish. Bit hard to stay cheery when your wife seemed to be getting promoted and you were still stuck as a glorified Claptrap babysitter.

And then a goddamn miracle happened. The blue markings on his daughter’s frame appeared, and he learned what they meant. What they could mean for him, for their family if he timed it all right. How he could finally get that damn promotion.

Except it became about more than the promotion, and soon he knew he deserved more. His family deserved more than having him be some low level Hyperion programmer. He knew how to run Hyperion better than any of those assholes in charge and everyone knew it. He could do great things with the company if they let him.

So he started working with a few Techs that could be easily bribed, got them to build him a special little house for his precious daughter. Something to keep her safe from harm for what she was. People weren’t nice to people like her. Sirens didn’t exactly inspire kindness he was starting to learn. So he would make sure she received all the kindness in the world.

If he benefitted, then hey, win-win.

Except his little wife did not agree when he told her. Said he was insane, that their daughter was precious and not to be used because of his greed. And it infuriated him. Because of that year when she disappeared. Because how could she pretend to care now when she didn’t then? How could she care as much as him, for the little girl he had practically raised and bathed and clothed all on his own while she had her damn pity party?

But he still loved her. She didn’t know best, but he loved her all the same. So he would make the right decision for the both of them. She would see the light eventually.

 

It was within a month of Angel’s move, putting her in a test chamber to get her acclimated to her new home, that he decided to come in and check on her, make sure everything was running smoothly and that his little princess was doing fine.

The figure was standing at the controls, hitting almost every button as Angel began to claw at the glass surrounding her. Her screams bounced around the chamber and Jack didn’t even hesitate, telling her to close her eyes and look away.

His daughter had trusted him, her eyes slipping shut as she kept screaming for Daddy to make her stop. Screaming that she couldn’t breathe, Daddy please, she couldn’t breathe before she began to slump against the glass, her breaths fogging the glass as they became shallower.

Jack had pulled out his watch chain and wrapped it around the woman’s neck from behind, telling her that she had no idea what she had just tried to do. That he was going to look forward to seeing all the colour drain out of her face, her clawing at his neck as she began to slump forward. She wheezed as she tried to tell him to stop, but he only pulled tighter.

“No…one…hurts…my…daughter,” he hissed as the woman began to struggle feebly. She slumped forward, the word “Jack” leaving her lips before she fell silent. She hung forward uselessly before she slumped back, her mouth open in a permanent O as those vibrant blue eyes stared at him lifelessly.

Jack had dropped her, stumbling back as he tried to catch his breath. He looked up at Angel, running forward and slamming the button to give her oxygen back. She fluttered open her eyes and proceeded to scream, sobbing as Jack ran past the barriers. He opened up the chamber, running into it before he gathered her into his arms, rubbing her back as she kept asking about the bad woman. Why she was lying on the floor.

“It doesn’t matter sweetie,” Jack declared desperately. The chamber didn’t give her a good view of the outside and he was grateful for it. “You’re safe now.”

He rubbed her back and buried his head in her raven-black hair.

“You’ll always be safe with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it kiddos! The story of Angel's mom and Jack's wife. Don't ask me why but this aspect of Jack has always fascinated me. For some reason I could never picture him just murdering his wife in cold blood knowing it was her, hence where the idea came from. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Maybe You're Alright After All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because there's a fine, fine line, between a lover and a friend. 
> 
> My take on the end of Tales From The Borderlands. 
> 
> Rhys/Fiona

She knows in the back of her mind it had to be, hands down, one of the stupidest things she'd ever done.

She's still not convinced he told the truth, not entirely. Part of her wants to believe what he said, but the majority of her is just too damn sceptical to believe anything. Because of what happened to Sasha. Because of what happened to Vaughn. Because of that moment in Helios that changed everything.

She made them run diagnostics on him when they arrived in Sanctuary. Lillith hadn't been too keen to aid someone who at one point was literally Handsome Jack's right hand man, but apparently Athena had convinced her otherwise. Fiona still wanted to know what she said.

Nothing had been too out of the ordinary, other than a few stray wiring issues. Ready to be put on his feet and sent off in no time.

It wasn't as if he could stay, she knew that. He'd done too much to earn that kind of mercy. But still...she didn't like it. For him to be given the fate of wandering around the desert, especially in that ridiculous suit of his. The bandits would tear him to shreds before he even made it 100 metres out of the door. He was practically a walking target for chaos, she had learned.

But it wasn't as if she could go with him either. Not that she wanted to. She had her own problems to deal with, namely preparing for this "war" everyone kept speaking about. They wanted to give her military training, something that had made her wince just at the thought of it.

She had intended to just give him a parting gift. An old ECHOcomm, something he could use to contact her if anything got too dicey for him. Or if he just wanted to talk. Not that she wanted the latter in particular.

He'd been shoving everything in some canvas bag when she walked in without knocking, and she snorted a little at the fact his impulse was to cover his chest like a girl before she noticed the tattoos. Well, more that the tattoos were on a surprisingly defined chest. That she really shouldn't be looking at so intently. Shit.

"Oh thank God, thought it was one of the guards coming to give me a strip search," he declared with a relieved grin as he turned around, either blissfully unaware or electing to ignore the fact her mouth had fallen open in surprise. "Come to give me one last punch for the road?"

He slipped on a simple shirt and turned to her, holding out his arms.

"For old times' sake?" He asked playfully. She looked at him for a moment, before she took a few tentative steps forward. Silently she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest and he made a surprised sort of whoosh. He patted her back awkwardly for a few moments.

"Just hug me back jackass," she replied impatiently and he chuckled before he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers. They held each other for a few moments before she pulled away. She coughed into her hand before she pulled out the ECHO, holding it out to him.

"For the road. In case you need me to save your ass again." He took the ECHO uncertainly, holding it in his cybernetic hand before he nodded, giving her a sweet sort of smile that for some reason made her feel all...warm. Must be the Pandoran heat getting to her.

"Sure you don't want to join me?" He asked with a playful grin and a cock of the eyebrow. "Rhys and Fiona against the world?"

She snorted at this.

"As tempting as that is, I'll have to pass," she replied with a grin. "Have fun getting eaten by skags."

He chuckled at this.

"Have fun becoming some soldier," he replied lamely and she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you try to come up with a good quip!"

She turned on her heel and went to leave when Rhys called out.

"We probably won't see each other again, will we?" Rhys asked quietly, the confidence gone and she closed her eyes as she sighed. She wanted to lie to him, say that they would have to meet again. That their tale had just begun, but she knew it wouldn't work. So she nodded. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd hate for my last words to you after everything to be some lame ass comeback."

"So what are you suggesting?" She asked. She was turned around on her heel, barely able to comprehend what was happening before Rhys had cupped her cheek, kissing her softly. Initially her hands went up to push him away, but for some reason instead her hands went for his shirt, grasping it tightly as she deepened the kiss. They stood there for a few moments, hands gripping at fabric before Rhys pulled away, chuckling awkwardly.

"Well, uh, that, uh, went better than I anticipated," he confessed breathlessly and she chuckled.

"Don't let it go to your head," she replied as she held onto his shirt.

She felt him kiss her forehead and it made her clutch the shirt tighter. Rhys chuckled a little and held her closer.

"I'll be fine, I swear. I survived on Helios for years," he boasted and she smirked. She traced the fabric before she pulled away, looking at the ECHOcomm.

"My offer still stands," she replied as she tapped the device. "Anytime you need me, just call."

"Anytime?" He asked with a smirk and a cock of his eyebrow and she shoved him. He winced a little and she laughed. He smiled in return as he picked up his bag.

"Well, see you around jackass," she replied as he walked to the door.

He chuckled before he gave her a one-handed wave.

"See you scum," he responded as the doors opened. He squared his shoulders and walked out, the doors sliding shut behind him.

She smiled to herself as she settled on the bed. Her smile faded as she thought of a woman with dreadlocks and a charming grin.

"Sorry Sasha," she declared to no one in particular. "Hope you don't mind I kissed him. Don't even ask me why I did it."

She took a deep breath.

"But maybe I don't hate him after all."

There was a short, sharp chuckle from her ECHO and she stiffened.

"Good to know," Rhys replied and she shut off the ECHO with a harder slap then intended.

She could just picture the smug look on his face, the bastard.


	7. Mismatched Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because there's never enough stories about our precious Timothy Lawrence. 
> 
> In which Rhys comes across a familiar face in the desert and learns more than he expected from him.
> 
> Rhys/Timothy

Rhys had been wandering in the desert for a week when they first met. 

He'd been trying to find some form of civilization, already sick of the skags he'd had to kill in the past few days with his stun baton (despite the fact he'd been given a few guns, he couldn't help but default to it in times of panic) when he'd happened to stumble across a psycho encampment. 

There had been a single moment when they had observed each other before one screamed and ran towards him, the rest following in a murderous horde and he froze in fear. 

A few shots rang through the air and he ducked automatically, looking up through his fingers to see head whip back as they dripped blood. One psycho happened to collapse right next to him and he tried not to shriek too loudly, scooting back rapidly as the psychos continued to collapse around him. 

He tried to search for the source of the gunfire, his ECHOeye scanning the landscape when he noticed a sniper standing on top of a nearby cliff face. They were covered head to torso in loose cloth, their head concealed by a makeshift hood. 

It was in that moment that he was knocked to the ground, a psycho sitting across his chest as they yelled in a familiar voice about wanting to suck the marrow from his bones and he felt himself go cold. 

"No, please no," he breathed as he tried to fight him off. "Please, stop, you don't know what you're doing!"

The man continued to try to slash at his throat and he swallowed audibly. 

"Listen to me! You're not like them! Please!" He pleaded desperately. "Vaughn, listen...." 

"I'm going to enjoy ripping your spine from your back and playing it like a xylophone!" Vaughn boomed and Rhys closed his eyes as he reached to his side. Wordlessly he slammed the stun baton into his former best friend's side and turned it on, watching him sail through the air before he landed a short distance away groaning in pain.

He glanced over to the cliff as he sat up, watching the figure disappear. Within moments the figure had reached the bottom and was sprinting towards him, their sniper rifle slung across their back. They pulled out a slim pistol and approached him, their head darting around checking the psychos before they relaxed, slipping the gun back into the holster at their side. 

They reached under the hood and touched their neck for a moment before they spoke. 

"Rhys?" The figure asked in a deep posh sort of accent, for a moment reminding him of another moment in the desert that involved him and Vaughn. He tried not to dwell on that for too long. 

He nodded curtly and the figure held out a gloved hand, though for some reason the index finger on both was partially missing. 

He took the hand quickly, being yanked to his feet by his fleshy arm and he winced at the force of it. 

"We need to get moving, where psychos are skags will usually follow," the man declared as he began to walk hurriedly. Rhys just stared at him and the man stopped before he turned to look at Rhys. 

"Why should I trust you?" He asked uncertainly. The man only gestured to the death spread around him and Rhys swallowed audibly. "Heh. Fair enough."

Rhys fell into step with the hooded figure, looking at the weapons strapped to his back with mild interest. 

"So, any reason you decided to save me?" Rhys asked slowly, half-expecting to be met with cool silence. 

"Orders," he replied bluntly. "Athena sent me out here to find you. Said you might need someone to train you in order to survive on Pandora."

"Athena?" Rhys asked in surprise, his brow furrowing. From what he could tell from their limited interactions, Athena had tolerated him, nothing more. So why would she send him help? 

It didn't really matter, did it? He was alive and if what this man was saying was true then he might actually have a chance out here. He wasn't one to question that. 

The pair walked in silence after that, and Rhys looked up to see a few creatures flying overhead and he shuddered to himself at how they seemed to circle him and his companion. 

"My caravan is nearby. We'll get inside and then we can get to somewhere a little quieter to practice," the figure declared. Within moments they arrived and the man kept walking forward. 

Rhys looked to see the man climbing up a set of stairs and yank open the door to the rusting vehicle before them, slipping inside as he motioned for Rhys to follow. 

 

The man was more training him how to actually use a gun than anything else, as it came to be. Most of their initial lessons seemed to be Rhys trying to hit a target and the figure diving out of the way of stray bullets. Still, the man was a surprisingly patient teacher, albeit a quiet one. 

It was one of the training days that Rhys happened to miss the target, hitting a rock causing the bullet to ricochet. Which promptly landed in his teacher's side, causing the man to yell out in pain. 

"God dammit!" The figure yelled in a chillingly-familiar voice and Rhys dropped his gun in shock. He picked it up quickly, prepping it before he aimed it at the figures head, who in the meantime had gone stock still. 

"Who the hell are you?" Rhys asked shakily as the figure looked at him. He held the gun at the man's head and swallowed audibly. "Tell me."

"Rhys, it's not..." The figure began in that familiar voice as Rhys stepped towards him. "I swear it's not what you think."

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to think happy thoughts about the fact you sound exactly like the man that tried to murder me a year ago?" Rhys asked angrily. "How did you survive? For craps sake, we exploded Helios!"

The figure hung their head before they slipped down their hood, revealing a handsome man with a scar that spanned his entire face. The brown hair, however, was instead a bright coppery shade and the expression on this man's face...it was all wrong. There was none of the condescension, no quirk of the mouth that was all Handsome Jack. This man just looked....terrified. 

"I know you won't believe it, but I'm not him!" The man declared as he held up his hands defensively. "My name's Timothy, I was part of this program where they said I would be able to pay my student loans by giving me the money if I made myself look like Jack."

Rhys lowered the gun slightly. 

"The body double program?" He asked uncertainly. The man nodded eagerly. 

He'd heard rumours about it when he started at Hyperion. How even in his lowly past Jack knew he was destined for greatness so he paid a bunch of scientists to make someone look like him. For what purpose Rhys had never been sure, and it wasn't like people on the station really talked about it beyond that on account of it being considered a massive failure. The body double had ran pretty soon after he was created, taking all the money he was promised with him and no one had seen him since. 

"I was planning to leave Pandora for good when Athena contacted me. Said I owed her for the fact she was able to smuggle me out to Elpis after Jack went off the deep end, said I needed to look exactly like him."

He pointed to the scarring. 

"And Janey and her were good to me. Helped patch me up and sent me on my way. So when she called I was more than happy to help. Felt like I needed to."

"But she knows what happened on Helios," Rhys replied sharply. "Haven't I been punished enough already dammit?" 

"What happened on Helios?" Tim asked gently. 

Rhys took a deep breath. 

"That is a story all of its own."

Not-Jack smiled a little. 

"Isn't it always?" He replied and Rhys smiled a little despite himself. 

"Well, it all started with a promotion..."

 

He still didn't quite trust Timothy in the beginning, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. So he let the body double train him, and the day that he was finally able to hit almost every target thrown his way was when he knew it was close to being over. 

Tim had slung an arm over his shoulders, hooting with joy and Rhys tried not to dwell on how the other man's breath tickled his ear as he told him in that gorgeous voice that perhaps there was hope for him after all. 

The problem was, Rhys had grown dependant on the other man, in more ways than one. Kind of pathetic really, to go from obsessing over some psychotic serial-killing asshole to being keen on the man made to look just like him, but Rhys was learning that on Pandora nothing was really surprising anymore. 

And yet Rhys watched him pack up his belongings, slipping his sniper rifle across his back as he stuck out his hand for Rhys to shake. 

"Best of luck on Pandora," he declared brightly. "Make sure to visit if you ever come to Eden-6."

Rhys had slipped his hand into the other man's palm, trying to ignore the warm spark that travelled up his arm when he did so. Except he looked at Tim's face, so like Jack and yet so different, that warm grin on his features that was so damn genuine it made his heart swell, and, well. 

He took a shot. 

"Take me with you," Rhys demanded and Timothy looked surprised. "Look, I know I'm supposed to stay on Pandora, but I've always wanted to see the Edens and..."

"Why?" Timothy asked gently, and Rhys wondered quite how to word this. 

Hey, sorry, but I think I'm quite keen on you and would rather spend my time kissing you senseless anywhere but here then waste away on Pandora hoping I don't get eaten by skags?

Hey, so, you know how I used to have a thing for Handsome Jack? Wellll, it turns out I have a type. 

You're probably not even interested in men, but I am. Surprised? 

"No reason in particular," Rhys replied with a small grin and Timothy just shook his head, making the smile fall as rapidly as it had appeared. 

"Athena told me you needed to stay here," Timothy replied sadly. "So unless you can give me a good reason...."

Rhys surged forward, stumbling slightly as he met Tim's mouth with his own. Tim's eyes went wide as saucers before he pulled away, looking shell shocked and Rhys swore to himself. 

"Shit, I'm sorry, I just...." Rhys began awkwardly. He chuckled nervously. "It's just that you're really attractive....not just because you look like Jack! I mean, shit, you're also one of the sweetest men I've ever met and dammit I don't know...."

"Oh," he replied quietly as it looked like he was trying to process it all. 

Tim blinked for a few moments before he gave a rather undignified snort. The snort turned into a series of giggles and Rhys didn't know whether to be insulted or laugh as well. Tim wiped his eyes for a moment before he snorted again. 

"Sorry, I know this is awkward and you're probably not...." Rhys began to ramble. 

"I am, though," He replied with a small smile. "Interested in you I mean."

"Oh," Rhys replied in surprise. "H-how long has that been a thing?" 

Timothy looked sheepish for a moment. 

"Since the moment I met you, frankly. Didn't want to say anything and scare you off, but yeah. Besides, I'm used to wanting people that don't want me back."

He snorted. 

"Ironic that the first person that it's mutual I need to strand on some planet," he continued before he sighed. 

"Athena doesn't need to know. The Crimson Lance don't care. Hell, you know I'd be better off not on Pandora!" Rhys protested and Timothy scratched the back of his neck. "Look Timothy, I have nothing keeping me here."

"You have her," Timothy replied quietly and Rhys scoffed. 

"Who, Fiona?" Rhys asked with a smirk. "We're friends, that's all. And she'll understand me wanting to leave this hellhole."

Tim scratched his neck again and sighed. 

"You certain?" He asked quietly. 

Rhys grinned, taking a few steps forward before he kissed Tim gently, his hands bunching in the other man's shirt. To be frank the kiss was clumsy at first, all long limbs and clicking teeth but soon they set a decent pace and Rhys moaned a little as Tim tugged at his hair. They broke apart and panted a little, the two grinning from ear to ear. 

"So tell me how we get to Eden-6....." Rhys asked with a grin. 

Timothy beamed in return. 

"Glad to....."


	8. Not The Worst Thing Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Rhys returns to Sanctuary sans one Mr. Lawrence and Fiona confronts the past. 
> 
> [might be in AU territory due to episode 5 not being out as of October 6th 2015, but still...hope you enjoy!]
> 
> Fiona/Rhys

It’s on the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance that the pair meet again in Sanctuary.

It had been a particularly rough fortnight, the crew barely holding it together after a violent altercation with a group of bandits just as eager to find the Vault as they had been. She bandaged her arm, glancing over at the jewel that rested on her desk, glittering prettily in the luminescent lighting and smiled a little to herself.

**Worth it though.**

The fear of an oncoming war had died down in the last year leaving most of the people in Sanctuary at a loss as to what it meant for them. If it was safe to assume it had all been a hoax conjured in order to save Athena from certain death for reasons they could not understand, that they should just head home and cut their losses while they could.

It wasn’t as though Athena was here to defend herself either, already long gone and settled in New Haven with Janey. Still taking jobs on the side, of course, but in no way as great a Vault Hunter as she had once been.

The Vault hunting had not died down, though. If anything it had increased, many of the residents willing to leave the city in pursuit of alien riches, trying to gather what they could before it was all wiped out. People were becoming careless, more interested in the prize than anything else and not willing to make the effort for it, resulting in some rather stupid deaths from what Fiona had heard.

She sometimes wondered what Sasha would think of all this madness. Probably would relish in it to a certain degree, eager to get them rich enough so they could leave for good. One good score and then they could escape, that had always been the plan.

It had been the one good score that had ruined them, as it turned out.

 

_Sasha was a lot of good things, but she had become greedy. She suited Rhys in that regard, the pair of them revelling in the loot. She wanted to take as much as she could carry, telling Fiona eagerly that they could finally get off Pandora. When Fiona had told her to slow down, her sister had snapped at her. Said she wasn’t about to waste this opportunity even if Fiona was willing to._

_And then the Vault began to close, and Fiona could still hear the yells of horror coming from her mouth as she insisted Sasha needed to get out. Rhys had grabbed her hand, the pair running out as fast as their legs would carry them, and Rhys had been able to jump out with Sasha curled against him._

_Except he had miscalculated, the Vault collapsing underneath them and while he had made it to the ledge, she was left dangling there, gripping onto his arm as he tried to pull her up. There was a horrific screech and Fiona watched a long dark hand emerge from the depths, gulping as she took a few steps back._

_The figure had begun to emerge and Fiona was screaming at the top of her lungs for Rhys to work faster. To save her sister, oh God please just save her. And for a moment, it looked like he was going to succeed. The pair wore relieved grins, and then Rhys’ port had sparked violently._

_And he let go, Sasha’s screaming echoing before the creature emerged, giving a final cry before it sunk under the depths, the chasm closing behind it. Rhys had stood up calmly, brushing off his pants before he walked towards Fiona._

_“Well that was unpleasant,” he declared with a small shrug, pulling out a slim gold object before he tossed it up from his palm. “Worth it though.”_

_Fiona had bristled at the smirk on his features._

_“We trusted you,” she spat and Rhys just gave her a cool look before he snorted._

_“Sweetheart, it’s cute, you trying to make me feel bad, but it’s not gonna work,” Rhys replied with a grin so unlike his own that she took a few steps back. “See, you can’t understand this yet, but it’s better this way. Sasha was just slowing us down, and besides, we both knew that little thing with her wasn’t built to last.”_

_“Rhys?” she asked hesitantly and the man before her just laughed a little._

_“You know he always liked you better,” Rhys declared with a snort. “Not that I can blame him, the hat is hot. Nothing like a pair of emerald eyes and a good hat to get the blood flowing, you know what I’m saying? Of course you do.”_

_She had slammed him to the ground, straddling his chest and Rhys just cocked an eyebrow as he grinned._

_“Oh yeah baby, that’s what I’m talking about!” he cried out triumphantly. “Always knew you liked it rough…”_

_The first punch landed across his jaw and he only had a moment to look surprised before she kept going, each punch growing weaker and weaker as she tried to fight off the sobs. Eventually she stopped, her nails pressed into his neck when he flipped them over, practically straddling her as his hands wrapped around her neck._

_“This brings back fond memories,” he declared with a wry chuckle as he squeezed._

_She clawed at his hands, trying to loosen their grip as he looked down at her with a manic grin. She feebly tried to kick him only for him to squeeze tighter._

_“You know what the saddest part about all this is? He had a chance, a damn golden opportunity to rule at my side and he wasted it,” Rhys declared as he squeezed. She began to choke and fought away the surrounding darkness as Rhys continued. “We could have been great, him the puppet king with me pulling all the strings. God, it would have been glorious!”_

_She slipped the gun out from her sleeve, and before Rhys could blink she shot a bullet into his arm, causing the wiring to spark violently. Rhys jerked back, a low growl deep in his throat and he launched for her, earning him a kick in the head. He looked at her questioningly before he collapsed, and she took a few deep breaths as she tried to compose herself._

_She didn’t waste any time. Didn’t look back as she turned on her heel. And she ran. Ran as far as her feet would take her. Away from that Hyperion jackass, not keen to see what round two would bring. She closed her eyes as she heard him begin to scream._

 

 

Her ECHOcomm bleeped a few times and she looked at it in surprise. It bleeped a few more times and she padded over, answering it quickly. If it was Lillith there was no use keeping her waiting, the woman famous for her fiery hair and equally fiery temper.

There was a crackle of static before the person spoke.

“Heyyyy Fiona, would you mind doing me a small favour?” a familiar voice asked and she hated herself for how widely she grinned.

“Kind of late to call don’t you think?” she teased and she could swear she heard him chuckle nervously. “I mean, a year is kind of a long time to keep a girl waiting….”

“Look, could you tell the guards that I’m here to see you? They currently have their guns to my head and I don’t know about you but I happen to like where it is right now so……”

She bit back the temptation to say she had never met the man in her life before she stopped herself.

“He’s a friend, guys. Let him in,” she declared, and she heard the gates open.

“Thanks,” he replied gratefully and she smirked a little.

“Don’t say I never gave you anything,” she retorted and he snorted drily.

 

He had been a total mess, covered head to toe in grime and Pandoran dust, his hair a curly mess as he slipped down his hood, so unlike the guy she had met almost two years ago. Gone was the pristine suit of Hyperion and in its place was pure Pandoran bandit.

“You’ve gone native I see,” she declared with a warm grin as she ushered him inside her room. He gave a small sort of smile before he unwrapped the cloth around his head, placing it on a nearby chair before he turned to face her.

He was leaner now, all the angles of his frame much sharper. It was almost as if he had matured somewhat, and Fiona was ready to admit that the change was sparking something in her that really should have been more concerning.

“Got the scars to prove it too,” he boasted, and she took a step forward. She reached for the cloth of his shirt before she stopped herself, her hand bunched at her side. “Seems you’ve got a few as well.”

She touched the scar across her neck and chuckled a little.

“Some psycho tried to decapitate me,” she replied with a shrug. “Blew his head off. Yours?”

“Turns out Eden-6 has its own form of skags. Really doesn’t live up to its name, to be honest,” Rhys confessed and she smiled. “Wish you could have seen it, the views were stunning there.”

“So what made you come back?” she asked. “I mean, why trade a good view? I’ve heard those are hard to find….”

“Not as hard as you’d expect,” he confessed as he gazed at her, smiling gently and the heat rose in her cheeks.

“So, you just missed the beauty of Pandora then?” she replied and he grinned.

“Something like that,” he replied with a smirk. “Wellll, that and my boyfriend told me he never wanted to see me again, soooo that’s as good a reason as any….”

He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Surprised he didn’t dump you once he found the Jack posters,” she replied and he laughed awkwardly.

“What makes you think I still have any?” he responded playfully. “Kind of hard to still be obsessed with some guy that took over your body and tried to murder your friend…”

She rubbed her neck absentmindedly at this comment and chuckled weakly.

“But yeah, the Jack thing, didn’t really go over so well,” he confessed. “I mean, at first it didn’t matter, but by the end….yeah.”

“Do you still…hear him sometimes?” she asked quietly, and he shook his head.

“Did a clean sweep of my hardware and disconnected from Helios, there’s no way in hell he could get back in there,” Rhys declared matter-of-factly. “Handsome Jack is gone for good.”

She nodded, still remembering that moment back near the Vault and she shuddered.

“Why do you ask?” he inquired and she didn’t respond. “Fiona, I promise I’m telling the truth.”

She nodded as she stepped forward. Wordlessly she pulled him forward by his shirt, wrapping her arms around his middle as she rested her forehead against his chest. Despite herself she felt the tears prick at the back of her eyes. She swiped them away angrily.

“I want to hate you, you know that right?” she asked quietly. She felt Rhys nod as he wrapped his arms around her frame. “I mean, I should. Hell, I have good reason to.”

“If it’s any consolation I hate myself enough for the both of us,” Rhys replied drily and she barked out a strangled laugh that became a sob. Slowly he brought his hand to the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair comfortingly as she allowed herself to soak his shirt. Her sobs bordered on animalistic and Rhys just stood there silently, his hand stroking through her hair until she calmed down enough to speak.

“I know it wasn’t you who did it,” she murmured. “I know it was him and yet…”

Rhys nodded. She felt something wet soak into her shirt and she pulled back to see he was crying.

“I loved her, Fiona,” he confessed as he looked down at her. “I know everyone thought it was some silly crush including her, but God, I would have torn the universe apart looking for her. And I did, during that year. Spent all my time trying to dodge bandits as I searched for the next location, and then I realized I needed you to help me.”

He stroked her cheek and smiled.

“You know Pandora better than anyone, not to mention I needed you if we were to reassemble Gortys.”

“Except I hated you,” she replied with a grin and he laughed brokenly.

“Oh trust me, the feeling was mutual. Hard to still like someone when they shot you in the hand.”

“Hard to like someone when they tried to kill you with their bare hands,” Fiona retorted.

Rhys rested his forehead against the top of her head as he sighed.

“And then Sanctuary destroyed all the pieces,” Rhys replied with a sharp chuckle. “Meaning we can never find her again.”

“Said it was to make sure no one else got hurt,” Fiona declared gently. “Not gonna lie, still not happy about that…”

Rhys laughed at this, his nose buried in her hair for a few moments.

“Rhys?” she asked gently, and his response was a low questioning hum. “Guess we were wrong.”

“About what?”

“We’re seeing each other again,” she reminded him and he chuckled a little.

“So I guess that kiss was a little much then, wasn’t it?” he asked jokingly and she scoffed.

“Says you. It was so awful I’ve already forgotten about it,” she replied sarcastically.

“I could make it up to you, if you wanted,” Rhys replied quietly, and she cocked an eyebrow. “I-I mean, only if you wanted to. Not saying we need to or anything…”

“That has to be, hands down, the weakest pick up line I’ve ever heard,” she teased as she pulled him in close. Without waiting for him to retort she kissed him soundly, hands tangling in his hair rapidly as the pair stumbled their way further into the room. She pulled away suddenly and looked at him for a few moments.

“Nice attempt, but you’re still a jackass,” she reminded him before she kissed him again.

She swore she felt him grin against her mouth.


	9. A Sweet New Body

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Jack's comment at the end of Episode 4 about his "sweet new body" inspired something in me. 
> 
> Trigger warning for character death, slight AU from the events of Tales from the Borderlands.

It’s the first time his ECHOcomm beeps in years, a persistent sound that causes the group of Skags to look at him with sudden interest.

“Shit,” he murmurs as he stands up, shooting the pack a few times until all that is left is a pile of corpses. He brushes his hands on his pants, the insistent beeping echoing around the cave, and he tenses as he hears something moving around outside.

He answers quickly, his sniper rifle poised in his grip as he watches the entrance.

“Timothy….Jack….Helios….run,” someone declares feebly through the static and he smacks the device a few times. He knows it’s an older model, but it’s not like he can just march up to Helios and request a new one. Not to mention he’s never really had to use it, most of his fellow Vault Hunters six feet under. “Timothy….get….”

He groans in frustration as he smacks the device a few more times, more concerned about the noise it’s making then what is being said when he hears the telltale click of a gun being cocked. He swallows as he looks up, his eyes meeting a pair of mismatched ones set in a rather handsome face.

Why is it the attractive ones that always want to kill him?

“Timothy, you need to get off Pandora. Jack is back on Helios and he’s looking for you,” Athena hissed from the ECHOcomm and he nearly giggled at the irony of it all.

The man appears to be wavering, an odd glint to his eyes as the gun trembles in his human hand. He grits his teeth for a moment before the gun is yanked from his hand by his other one, the metallic yellow glinting slightly in the light from the entrance as he holds the weapon a bit more confidently.

“I’m sorry,” the man murmurs brokenly, his blue eye suddenly going golden yellow and Timothy can barely scream before the bullet lodges itself in his brain. He slumps across the sniper rifle and the man picks it up, checking the amount of bullets before he proficiently slings it across his back. He rolls his shoulders back a few times, grinning from ear to ear.

 

It was a clean shot, easily removed by the Hyperion medics, all bustling around nervously as they feel a pair of eyes stare at them from each monitor in the room.

The fact that Jack for once is silent only makes the tension in the room rise, the blue figure watching them as they try to stitch up the man splayed out on the sofa in Jack’s office. One medic happens to look up, eyes meeting with the ones on the monitor and Jack lunges forward, causing the medic to stumble back as Jack howls with laughter.

The mask is slipped onto the man’s face and there’s a moment where the medics all glance at each other. They know the cost if this doesn’t work, and to say no one is quite keen to pay it is a massive understatement. Yet one of them presses the button on the console, watching as the figure on the monitors disappears.

At first the body doesn’t do anything, the man looking almost peaceful.

“Oh God, oh God he’s going to kill us isn’t he?” one of the medics whispers desperately.

The body jerks up violently and the man on the table gasps for a few moments, hand on his chest before it goes up to the russet locks that frame his face comically. He swipes the hair back, taking a few more breaths before his eyes dart over to one of the medics.

“Well, don’t stand there dumb dumb!” he barks and the man practically jumps two metres straight up. He nods a few times before he darts out of the room, and Jack can’t help but grin as he feels the air in his lungs, looking down to see the scarred hands resting in his lap.

 

He scares off the rest of the medics long enough to get a good look at his new body, and he has to say, he’s a little impressed.

Sure, there’s a few more scars on his torso then he would like and the red hair is a surprise, but at least he’s toned. One of the perks of trying to survive on Pandora he guessed. Not that there were really any, but still, decent workout regimen.

The intention had always been to age Lawrence up as Jack went from handsome daredevil programmer to silver fox CEO, but the little shit had decided to run away after that whole mess with the Claptrap. Which would not have been a problem had Tim not found the tracker and ripped it out of his arm.

Jack traces the scar absentmindedly as he walks around the surgery room, picking up the bullet he lodged in Tim’s (well, his now) brain and tucking it into his pocket.

He always liked keeping little mementos. He’d have to add this one to the shelf.

He squares his shoulders as he ties back the hair, frowning as he hears a loud pop as his shoulder clicks into place.

Just what the hell did the guy do to him? Well, the imitation of him anyway.

Granted, he’s not surprised in the slightest. Just displeased. Too bad he can’t strangle the prick for giving him sloppy seconds, but he’s making do.

He has a company to run, after all. Not that the AI thing wasn’t great, it was, really.

But nothing compared to knowing your bones could break at any moment, the blood pour out of you. The danger of death, the struggle of existence. Knowing you were constantly on the cusp of your demise, and loving every damn moment of it.  

He faces the monitors as he slumps into his office chair, relishing in the moment as he throws his hand behind his head and leans back, leather boots hitting the desk roughly as he slams his feet onto it.

The doors to his office slide open to reveal a familiar man accompanied by, surprise surprise, that Pandoran chick. The pair were muttering to themselves, too lost in their little quarrel to notice the man sitting at the desk when Jack cleared his throat.

Rhys jerked up suddenly, his eyes wide as Fiona prepped her gun automatically. Jack laughed for a moment at the image, the two clearly out of their depth and he grinned from ear to ear.

“Well this seems like a harsh welcome. Really Rhys, the prodigal hero returns and you can’t even manage to get me a few strippers to celebrate? Tsk tsk tsk…”  

Fiona narrows her eyes and he only grins wider as she steps forward, the gun poised at his temple.

“I’d ask if you missed me kiddos, but I already know you did. Although honestly, you’re really not acting like it. Normally I’d be offended, but it’s sort of cute, in a pathetic sort of way, you two coming here to kill me for good. As if you’re even going to have the opportunity to! So, better question.”

He stood up from his chair, beaming as their faces blanched with fear.

“Do you two know the difference between choking and strangulation?”


	10. Let's Just Say I Like Hats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've noticed some people came up with the theory Jack might have an interest in Fiona because she reminds him of his ex-wife. 
> 
> I went for a more obvious comparison. 
> 
> Handsome Jack/Fiona, slight Fiona/Rhys, mention of Nisha/Jack

Fiona doesn't like being his soft spot. Not that she can really call it that, considering he's just as likely to throw her out an airlock for being "infuriating" as for a slow grin to creep across his features as he watches her, the same action now deemed "intoxicating".

She wants to claim she was a victim in all this, that she had not seen what was in motion before it was too late. That the end in no way was expected to her.

In certain aspects that was apt. There was no way in hell she anticipated being requested up to Helios, at HIS personal invitation. Nor the events that unfolded once she arrived there.

She'd been bribed to a certain degree, the temptation to earn easy money if she did a teensy job for him too great to pass up. And granted, it wasn't like she was hurting anyone that in the end didn't deserve it.

Then again, he could have been lying when he described the job to her. All swagger and bravado, legs up on the desk as he munched on some chips, the crumbs landing on his pristine black vest.

He did it mostly to piss off Rhys, Fiona had come to find. If Rhys thought his body was a temple, then the plague known as Handsome Jack was more than willing to desecrate it. If only to cause the other man to scream in horror at the results.

She could never quite tell what Rhys was getting out of all this, but she supposed she didn't quite know what she was getting either from their little arrangement. Not like you didn't get targets painted on your back for acting in the name of the hated Hyperion CEO.

She knew she was better off leaving his employ, and yet...what was her other option? Wander the desert with a bounty on her head? At least there was one perk to this job, and that was that the world seemed to fear Jack a lot more than any need for justice in the form of bringing her in for "past crimes". As if no one else she knew had bribed and stolen their way around Pandora.

Fiona hated it, for the most part. Her dignity and all that sacrificed for a paycheque, and yet...she liked it, to a certain degree. Besides, most of the people actually seemed to deserve the punishment Jack wanted to dole out.

It had been after a particularly nasty job, her frame covered in skag bile on account of one swallowing the man before she could grab the envelope stashed into his suit pocket, resulting in her cutting the beast clean in half with some pocket knife after shooting it on the head a few times.

She threw the envelope onto the desk, feeling like she needed a good bath (or ten) as the man before her looked up from his computer screen.

"Nice job," Rhys commented and she visibly relaxed at the familiar smile of approval.

Despite technically working for Rhys she didn't see him much. Him in complete control, she meant. He was more of a glorified secretary at this point, taking messages for Jack and at times handling clients with the tact that somehow Jack had never been too keen to learn.

He typed a few things into the computer before he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Where's he?" She asked and Rhys shrugged before he started typing again. Just another cog in the machinery that was Hyperion. She knew it disappointed him, what being President actually entailed in terms of needing to share the power. She knew he'd have left already if he was sure Jack couldn't follow.

She suspected there were other reasons too though for the life of her she couldn't tell what they were.

She was about to ask him what he was working on when something shifted and she sighed. Bye bye Rhys.

"Oh good, thought I'd have to go down myself at this rate," Rhys-Jack declared as he picked up the envelope between silver fingers. "What happened pumpkin, get stuck in traffic?"

She bristled but didn't respond. That only tended to encourage him, and the less he said the easier it was for her. Not that it decreased by any real degree.

He broke the seal, looking at the contents before he flicked the envelope onto the desk.

If working for him wasn't infuriating in itself the fact he never quite told her what she was nearly dying for had a tendency to set her on edge. She had tried once to ask, the response being less than positive.

He reached into his desk, pulling out a thick wad of cash before he tossed it at her, grinning when she caught it easily.

That was the arrangement, everything in cold cash. No Hyperion bank account, nothing to trace her back to him. A rare argument she had won against him, not that it felt like an achievement. If anything, it was almost as if he was humouring her.

 

If there’s anything she’s learned taking this position, it’s that you don’t keep Jack waiting, and yet she hesitates as she stands outside the imposing office, her ID card in her palm.

She could just turn around now, pretend she never received the ECHO call. Sure, he’d be pissed as all hell, but she smiled a little at the thought of the rebellion of the action. A little nod to the fact he didn’t control her entirely. Petty, she would admit, but she was coming to learn sometimes the small victories were treasured the most.

The doors slide open of their own accord and the first thing that hits her is the stench of liquor on his breath as he practically leans out of the doorway. Her nose wrinkles as he grins at her, all sloppy yet still condescending.

“The bandit who killllllllls banditos, mi amigos,” he slurs as he leans against the doorway. He seems to miscalculate and plops to the floor, laughing to himself entirely too loudly to be appropriate for the next-to-silent satellite at 2 am. It’s bordering on hysterical and if it was anyone else she would worry about their well-being.

He looks absolutely manic, and somehow she knows Jack could care less.

“You wanted to see me?” she asks professionally and he cocks an eyebrow. He steps forward, his arm wrapping around her waist as he yanks her forward. Their chests collide and she tries to turn away from the stench that seems to be trapped in his pores. She wonders just how exactly an AI can get himself wasted when he rests his hands on her hips, his lips close to her ear.

She expects him to say something when all she feels is a sharp pull as her earlobe is pulled into his mouth, and when she shoves him back the grin grows predatory. It’s foreign on Rhys’ features, and it makes the bile rise in her throat.

For every step forward she takes two steps back, and the grin only gets wider as they continue their little dance around the office.

 _One-two-three-four, let me get out the door, one-two-three-four, can we not play anymore?_ She finds herself reciting in her head and it makes her snort a little. Jack takes this as a welcome invitation and backs her against one of the walls, hands on either side of her frame before they slide down next to her hips, not quite touching them as he looms over her.

She could kick him in this position, quite easily in fact, move so rapidly that the jab to the neck would send him sprawling on the floor. Her moment of trying to calculate the risks proves to be her undoing as he leans down, lips on her neck as he tugs at the skin there.

Hands grab too roughly at her hips as he drags her forward, leg wedged between her own as he marks her neck and then for some reason, it goes…softer. The grip relaxes, his mouth less insistent and when she bends her head down in surprise his mouth meets hers.

A sharp jolt runs through her at the contact as he kisses her sweetly, slightly nibbling on her lower lip and it’s the perfect moment to shove him away. Except she doesn’t.

Because this feels wrong. Not in the typical definition, which this situation would definitely suit. But it doesn’t feel like it’s Jack. It’s less of a fight now, more of an intricate dance where he wants to teach her the steps one-by-one, entirely too patient to be him.

His hands go to cup her cheeks, the cool metal resting against her skin as he presses gently, pulling away as she tries to catch her breath long enough to ask him what is going on.

“Rhys?” she breathes hesitantly, and there’s a flicker in his eyes before it shifts, the smile returning as her blood cools rapidly. He attacks her mouth, nails digging into the back of her head, groaning lewdly and she shoves him so roughly he falls to his knees.

And he looks much, much too pleased with his current position, and she wonders for a moment if someone’s done it to him before, shaking her head at the mere thought of it. He was Handsome goddamn Jack, anyone who could get him to his knees…scratch that, anyone who could even get him close to bending down slightly deserved their own float in a parade dedicated to them.

“Ohhhh I missed this,” he slurs, hands reaching for her hips before he practically curls against her. She’s about to knee him in the face when his hands go to her hips and he rests his forehead on her thigh, almost like a child trying to hide in their mother’s skirt.

She’s half-expecting him to continue his efforts from there, but he just seems to stop. His grip tightens and she feels a harsh shudder run through him. He continues to shudder and it takes her a moment to realize he’s crying.

He doesn’t elaborate, the tears streaming down his face, his grip loosing on her thigh within a few minutes before he collapses onto his back, snoring loudly.

She steps over him and practically bolts out of the office, her breaths coming in short gasps as she tries to make sense of what she has just seen.

 

It’s the final push to convince her to try and run, and after a few days when she finds no Loader Bots on her tail she begins to wonder what made him let go so easily. Why Rhys hasn’t tried to contact her, though she knows the danger in that for him.

It feels like Jack is humouring her again.

She chooses not to question it, taking the first shuttle off the planet, refusing to look back. Not like she has anything left on Pandora worth staying for anymore.

She rips out the chip in her arm roughly, tossing it out the window as the shuttle lifts off the ground. She settles back into her seat and smiles a little, before her smile fades as she looks at the person across from her.

Typical.

“I’m not coming back,” she declares to him, and the man smiles too gently to be Jack.

“Neither am I,” Rhys replies with a small smile, his voice quiet. It feels strange, interacting with him like this, and he answers her question before she can even ask it. “He made me leave him on Helios. Said he never wanted to see your filthy scum face again for the rest of his life.”

“He just let you leave?” she asked in surprise and he snorted.

“He nearly threw me out of an airlock when I hesitated,” he replied honestly, rubbing his eyes. “Didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“You’re not worried about leaving him alone on Helios?” she asked and he shrugged.

“I’m sure he’ll manage. Not sticking around to find out.”

She smiled a little at that.

“So Rhys, how does it feel to be officially ex-Hyperion?”

He snorted.

“A damn relief,” he replied, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

She couldn't help but nod in agreement at that statement.


End file.
